Road projects funded by Issue 13 begin

A crew from Terminal Ready Mix has begun tearing up Homewood Drive to rebuild a 3/4-mile stretch from Grove Avenue to Tacoma Avenue. It is the first job to start construction that will be paid for with Lorain's Street Repair Levy, last year known as Issue 13 that city residents approved in the November 2012 election.

The Lorain Board of Control, made up of Mayor Chase Ritenauer and Safety-Service Director Robert Fowler, approved the contract on June 24. Orange barrels went out on Wednesday and digging started Thursday.

The city also is using storm sewer money to help pay for the catch basins, grates and stormwater pipes on Homewood Drive. It's an ideal project to use the blended funding for upgraded roads and drainage, Ritenauer said.

"I think it's a great first project for Issue 13," Ritenauer said. "Homewood is certainly a main access point for those South Lorain residents living east of Grove Avenue."

The job will have 12 to 15 workers on site, up to five dump truck drivers, a dozen cement truck drivers when the concrete is poured, and workers supporting the job at Terminal Ready-Mix Inc.'s concrete batching plant and offices, said John Falbo Jr., project estimator for the Lorain company.

"It's not often that Lorain has a whole lot going on" in construction, Falbo said. "It's an opportunity to work in our hometown and supply the materials as well. We'd rather work at home than travel and our guys would too."

The concrete curbs and storm drains were installed when the Homewood neighborhood was developed in the 1950s. Its asphalt road surface last was replaced in the 1980s, according to city engineering records.

"There are major curb issues about how the storm sewer is constructed out there," Fowler said.

Ward 6 Councilman Rick Lucente has pushed for several years for a rebuild, not just for aesthetics or or a smooth ride.

Age, truck traffic, poor drainage and freeze-thaw cycles have pushed up elevations, sometimes several inches high, between the road and curbs. The uneven surface is a safety hazard for drivers, especially plow drivers in the winter, Lucente said.

"I've got calls: When are they going to fix Homewood Drive? When are they going to fix Homewood Drive?" Lucente said. "They've got a lot of work to do. Unfortunately it's going to take some time. The people on this street are going to be inconvenienced for a while driving, getting in and out of their driveways and stuff with the traffic. But they wanted things fixed and we're getting it fixed."

The Homewood Drive project attracted a half dozen companies bidding on the work. Some recent city jobs had just three bidders, said City Engineer Dale Vandersommen.

The engineer's estimate for the work was more than $1.34 million.

Terminal Ready Mix bid $956,098 for the job, plus a 10 percent contingency of $95,609 for a total contract cost of $1.05 million. Other bids ranged from $1.03 million to $1.16 million, not including the contingency addition.

The city officials add the contingency money to cover costs of unexpected issues during construction. City workers and contractors often don't know exactly what they will find underground when they start digging, Vandersommen said.

"Without the trusty X-ray vision you almost always come across something you didn't expect," he said.

The Homewood Drive project is not without its challenges over the next 10 weeks.

Utility poles set close to the curb will make for a tight squeeze for a paving machine, Falbo said.

The company also will tear up and rebuild the north half of the street, keeping the southern half open for traffic. Residents on the north side were notified and asked to pair up with a neighbor on the south for overnight parking when the north half is closed; then supply parking for their cross-street neighbors when the south side of the street is being repaired.

The Street Repair Levy projects will continue this summer and fall.

Bids are due Wednesday to rebuild Washington Avenue from North Ridge Road to West 37th Street. Work is to be done by Oct. 4.

Bids are due July 9 to resurface Sherwood Drive and Tower Boulevard, completed by Sept. 16.

Bids are due July 18 to resurface Cooper Foster Park Road, Pearl Avenue and Clinton Avenue, completed by Oct. 18.

"We're trying to get these projects going," Fowler said. "We're excited. Orange barrel city is starting to come to fruition."